Allan Truax Timeline In Context – Post-Civil War To Vietnam

Allan Truax: A Historical Perspective

To place the life of Allan Truax in context, I’ve added historical markers (in red) to his timeline. Click on timeline to enlarge

It’s enlightening to grasp that Allan Truax was born only six years after the Civil War ended and died as Vietnam began; he was alive when scientists developed telephones, light bulbs, penicillin, radio, TV, and atomic energy; and automobiles, airplanes, and space travel had their beginnings during his lifetime.

In addition to the events listed on the timeline, Truax’s lifetime included

1871: The Chicago Fire

1876: Invention of telephone

1879: Invention of electric light

1890: Battle of Wounded Knee

1893: Tesla invents radio

1898: Spanish American War

1903: First airplane flight

1910: Death of Mark Twain

1915: Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

1918: Prohibition begins

1919: League of Nations founded

1928: Penicillin discovered

1945: US drops the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

1950: Korean War begins

1952: Reign of Queen Elizabeth II begins

1964: Vietnam War begins

1965: USSR spacewalks

Allan Lincoln Truax

My interest in Allan Lincoln Truax was first triggered my curiosity about an inscription, “A.L. Truax, Crosby, ND, Jan 3rd 1922,” written on the flyleaf of a used copy of A.E. Housman’s Last Poems given me as a gift. I began tracking down information about A.L. Truax on the internet to satisfy my casual inquisitiveness about what kind of guy living in an isolated North Dakota town in the early 1900s would purchase an early printing of Housman’s poetry. At least in this case, that kind of guy turned out to be an extraordinarily accomplished individual. Allan Truax’s job was in the railway mail service but his heart and mind were given over to his involvement with his community and church, his extensive travels, and his devoted pursuit of his intellectual interests, especially horticulture, literature, and family, local, and American history. I’m posting this material about Allan Truax and his wife, Evelyn, not only because it is intrinsically interesting but because it also offers insights into an era and an environment that, while they are only a couple of generations and a few states removed from me, are so unlike my own experience that, in many ways, the circumstances of Allan Truax’s life are as unimaginable to me as those of a Jules Verne character residing on another planet. I’m also motivated to record this miniature biography by my conviction that Allan Truax – and Evelyn Truax – are special, stalwart individuals who deserve to have their story written and read. Finally, I confess that I feel compelled to pursue this task in part because I have come to identify with Allan Truax, a state of affairs that is surely routine in this line of work and one that is not without its benefits.

Previous Allan Truax Posts: All Allan Truax posts can be found at Allan Truax

Note: Originally posted May 13, 2007 at 1HeckOfAGuy.com, a predecessor of AllanShowalter.com